1. Field
The disclosed concept pertains generally to a faceplate assembly for a circuit breaker module and, more particularly, to a faceplate assembly having a faceplate wherein the faceplate is electrically conductive and the circuit breaker module frame assembly is conductive, whereby circuit breakers within the circuit breaker module may be grounded. The invention also relates to methods of electrically grounding electrical switching apparatus, such as circuit breakers.
2. Background Information
Circuit breakers are used to protect electrical circuitry from damage due to an overcurrent condition, such as an overload condition or a relatively high level short circuit or fault condition between a power source (e.g., a line terminal) and a load. Circuit breakers are used, for example, in aircraft electrical systems where they not only provide over-current protection but also serve as switches for turning equipment on and off. Aircraft or subminiature circuit breakers, for instance, are typically relatively small to accommodate the relatively high-density layout of aircraft circuit breaker panels, which make circuit breakers for numerous circuits accessible to a user. Aircraft electrical systems can consist, for example, of hundreds of circuit breakers, each of which is used for a circuit protection function as well as a circuit disconnection function through a push-pull handle.
Typically, aircraft circuit breaker panels are, at best, poor conductors e.g., such panels are painted; are made of a non-conductive composite material; or are made of an oxidized conductive material, such as aluminum). In order to monitor faults, such as arc faults in aircraft circuit breakers such as, but not limited to, arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI), there exists the need to power arc fault detection circuitry. Hence, there exists the need to provide a reliable ground connection to the aircraft circuit breaker in addition to the existing line terminal from the power source. There is a further need to make assembling circuit breaker modules simpler.
There is room for improvement in the construction of circuit breaker modules.